I, like you... am not rich. I gave it a lot of thought before getting my bully b/c I knew her upkeep would be expensive. I must say I've been incredibly lucky b/c aside from shots & neuter/spay... Lola has not needed medical attention. Definitely research the breeder...A LOT. Althought that does not garantee a healthy puppy... I think it gives you a better chance. Also, make sure the breeder gives you a good health garantee. The breeder I got Lola from gave six months for any congenital (sp?) sickness. Some people gave 24hrs or less! IMO, this show that they stand behind the dogs they breed. Also, make sure you feed her/him good doggie food and make sure they get exercise. Good luck and please let us know your final decision!

Carolina & Lola

Pay for the dog....buy a dog from a good breeder. Research the breeder to make sure that she/he does good research and is careful to make sure that his/her breeding stock is healthy and free of genetic problems (as much as we can predict.) The more questiosn that the breeder asks YOU - the better.

If you get a dog from a pet store you will be gettting something from a puppy mill or a horrible breeder who doesn't care what he/she breeds. That means the dog might very well have genetic problems that will cost you big $.

As far as rescue goes - you never know. I have had 2 rescues that have cost me MUCHO dollars. I have 1 rescue that is as healthy as a horse. They are like a box of chocolates......

Realistically, I would plan on something like this - pay about 1500-2500 for the pup, 500. between shots & neuter/spay for the first 6 months or so. For food and upkeep I would say 30. a month. So do the math....If he/she gets sick - vet exams are about 30 bucks and typical antibiotics are about 25-50. Yes, they have more problems than the average dog. I have spent much more than this spoiling my dogs........

Good luck!
Kris

If you want to check your breeder with the webmaster, that would be a good idea. I think it depends on the health of the dog which depends on the parents to some extent. I had one bulldog for 13 years. I am medically trained and still ran her into the vet a lot although she was healthy for a bullie. She had a cherry eye which requires surgery that wasn't cheap. That's a bullie problem. She needed antibiotics a few times for skin infections or bronchitis after the kennel cough vaccine. Two non bully problems that could happen to any dog were being hit by a car and stayed at vet for 4 days although really she came out relatively ok. Ate garbage and got pancreatitis and had to stay at vet for fluids for a few days. Those are any dog problems that could cost money. In bullies problems to ask about that could cost money and make your dog miserable are eye problems, hip and knee problems, small tracheas, and elongated soft palates among other things.

If you are careful and with some luck, and find a relatively healthy bully, you still need to be prepared for vet bills for unexpected things.

My current bully is relatively healthy, but I just sent to the vet today for diarrhea. She picked up something again outside.

My policy on the vet is that it is better to take them in early when you suspect something is wrong rather than wait until they are direly ill. I generally never take them in unless something is wrong either.

Good luck!

In my case, I had some problems with Diamond. Well $6000 problems. However, don't let this scare you. Just make sure that you do your homework on a breeder. Don't be too anxious to get a bullie that you overlook some very important steps. Check the breeders page on this site and talk to people through email. Make sure you visit whatever breeder you are going to go through or are thinking of going through. Any good breeder would be happy and proud to show you where they keep their puppies and adults. I would say that since we have had Diamond's problems taken care of, we haven't had any really large vet bills. The biggest work is upkeep with wrinkles and stuff. The biggest expenses are probably going to come from spoiling your bully. Trust me, you are going to spoil him/her. Just look at all of our bullies! Feel free to email with other questions.

Milo is three years old now and has never been to the vet except for shots and one cherry eye he had.
gertie on the other hand -!!!! we just got her two weeks ago and she's been at the vets 5 times already, but half of it was due to the stress of her travelling... So some bullies are great, some have problems - it's just like anything else, you can get a mutt that has a tun of problems as well.
Watch out though, once you get a bulldog - you will NEVER own another breed again. We are all obsessed lol!

Some bulldogs go through life and never see a vet for anything except shots, others may have small needs and some may have major ones. Start buy selecting the right breeder, checking in on things, doing your homework and you have a good chance of getting a healthy dog like you would in any breed. good luck!

Our bulldog is three years old and has been very healthy. We had her puppy costs (shots, check-up), we had her spayed (I think about $125 or so). We take her in for yearly shots and a check up and give her heartworm pills (about $3 each for eight months a year). In addition, she sprained a leg (vet check, $25), a panic visit when she got a mosquito bite, and a visit for a cold (diagnosis + pills, about $90) This is over the course of 3+ years.

She's had a couple of minor problems, treated with a little Gold Bond powder, a baby wipe or two and some Petrolium Jelly.

We got our bullie from a very good breeder. That's the key. It doesn't guarantee anything, but makes your odds of getting a healty, long lived bullie much better.

The reason you see a lot of health problems on bulldog message boards is because this is where people come to get health care advice, not because the majority of bullies have a lot of problems.

By the way, bulldogs are the BEST! They are sweet, loving, silly, delightful beings who will win your hearts completely.